Aurora+Velasco+LMF

//Learning Motivation and Fun Analysis//

 * [[image:team-players2.jpg align="right"]]1.) Having a high amount of peer interaction engages a learner more than with no peer interaction.** One element for a fun learning environment that seemed to pop up a lot in these videos was having a class involving high levels of peer interaction. Lana D. 24, when discussing her engaging experience of taking a group hip hop dance class, remarked that it was //“the interactivity among us that added to the fun of the class.”// Janelle said //“There was an effect on me of teamwork”// when recounting a physical education class she took that involved the use of ‘parachute play’ for her group of 20 to be able to come up with various school games. Peer interaction also seems to have a positive effect on the performance of the learner. Asu, 12, states that the peer groups they had to form in her ESL class //“improved our self confidence in front of the audiences.”// Investigating this trend of peer interaction, I found that 77 of the 164 stories documented (46%) involved “high” peer interaction, with an additional 55 that involved at least “a little” peer interaction (for a total of 80%). This is an overwhelming majority of all experiences in the LMF database which involve at least some form of peer interaction, so evidently this is a key element in creating a fun and engaging learning environment.


 * 2.) Changing the location of a class from a classroom to a more non-traditional setting adds to a learner’s engagement as well as performance.** Another trend I discovered that appeared to add to the overall enjoyment of a class was a change of environment/location from a typical classroom. Robert C. shares his experience when he and his group for a Spanish language course met at a local park to complete an assignment. He states //“It was better than the other fun experiences in my school life because it was off campus.”// Joseph, 12, recalls going to a local ice rink for a physics class to be able to see certain concepts in action on the ice. He says //“being outside and learning something in a different way really helped us learn the different material.”// Mridusmitaborah, 26, mentions an informal field trip she went on for a conflict resolution program and that //“It was both fun and motivating as well as learning more because the experience took place outside the classroom and we were not confined in the four walls of a classroom.”// Once again, in searching the LMF database with the environmental constraints being “outdoor experience”, I find that 84 of the 164 stories documented (51%) have such an environment. While it is by no means overwhelming, the fact that over half of the experiences took place in a non-traditional setting is still very remarkable and enough to add the element of environment to what makes something fun and engaging.


 * 3.) Having an element of friendly competition in the learning environment keeps learners more engaged and motivated.** A phrase I heard quite often from the videos was “competition.” Kamina, 15, discusses her dance workshop at a cheerleading camp where she enjoyed the fact that she was representing her school amongst the many other schools there and that amongst other things //“the added competition with the other girls also made it a lot of fun.”// Matt, 24, very much enjoyed his beginner’s golf class and said it was very fun in part because //“the teacher made it into a small competition… and he would motivate by increasing the challenge”// and //“this particular event rekindled my competitive nature.”// Minh Tam, 20-29, flat out stated that //“this experience was fun because it was a competition”// when talking about her experience in a physical education class she took while in college. The LMF database shows that experiences with medium to high levels of competition totaled 63 out of 164 which is just about 40% and a fairly decent amount I believe to add this as another key element of learning.


 * 4.) Grouping learners into levels of similar ability creates a better learning environment and more engaging experience as it gives the learner confidence.** Personally I know that having to attend a class where it seems like everyone else knows the material backwards and forwards while I struggle is a very intimidating and daunting situation. There were several videos I came across where the learner expressed their enjoyment of the class specifically because they were able to learn with peer(s) of similar pre-existing ability. Stephanie, 21, learned to snowboard at Squaw Valley with a group of 5 learners. She recalls one of these learners, who was just as new as she was to snowboarding, and remarks //“having somebody at my same level, even though we were both beginners… made the experience really fun.”// In terms of how this helped her performance she also states that //“I got a lot better faster because I had somebody to do it with.”// Mary, 42, took line dancing lessons and really enjoyed the learning experience in part because //“we were placed into groups of people of similar abilities so that none of us felt we were less able to do the dances.”// This statement is all about CONFIDENCE and I believe that having confidence greatly helps an individual improve and learn. In these examples, the learners did just that because they were able to learn alongside people of similar abilities.


 * [[image:avteacher2.jpg align="left"]]5.) High enthusiasm and passion on the part of the instructor greatly engages learners.** One of the more astounding figures I found when searching the database was that 105 of the 164 experiences involved the instructor having high levels of enthusiasm and passion. Marybeth, 10, discusses her learning experience of visiting the Gettysburg historical site and remarks //“Part of the reason that the experience was so fun was that my dad brings a great enthusiasm and passion when he talks about it.”// She further attributes this passion to why she was able to learn more than just dates/facts but also more personal information about the key players of the Civil War. Anna, 10-19, remembers her World History teacher from high school and his enthusiasm in the class. She says, //“It was fun to watch him and he kept us alert… so we had to pay attention.”// His enthusiasm attributed to her remaining focused on what was being instructed, and therefore potentially enabled her to learn and retain more. Wendy, 24, when asked about the instructor of a math class she took remarked that she //“was very energetic and outgoing and got everyone to participate.”// She says that instructor is why the class was so fun for her to take. I personally believe that energy, both positive and negative, is infectious. Therefore, it is no wonder that attending a class with an upbeat, passionate and enthusiastic instructor will inevitable see that same energy seep into that of the learners.


 * Implications for my work:**

All of these trends I found while researching the LMF database have great implications to the training I provide at my job. Much of what I do involves holding training workshops on multimedia/computer hardware and software. In particular, generalization 4 would be most beneficial for me to incorporate more as nowadays learners’ technical skill levels do vary greatly. For the more tech savvy learners, I can see it being more appropriate for them to work on a more advanced topic while I sit back with the less tech savvy learners and work with them to get them up to speed.

Generalization 1 is another that I probably do not incorporate as much as I should, given its prevalence in this research assignment. I could potentially come up with group work during my training workshops that will have teams of 2 or 3 work together to apply what they are learning, such as how to make a web page, and come up with a team effort project of a basic web site. I could also include generalization 3, friendly competition, by having a contest on which team produced the best web page.

Overall this assignment has greatly opened my eyes to the elements that many learners feel contribute to a more fun and engaging learning environment, and I will definitely incorporate these elements to my own training.